Engine device

ABSTRACT

An engine device including an intake manifold configured to supply air into a cylinder; an exhaust manifold configured to output exhaust gas from the cylinder; a gas injector which mixes a gaseous fuel with the air supplied from the intake manifold; and a main fuel injection valve configured to inject a liquid fuel into the cylinder for combustion. At the time of switching from a gas mode in which the gaseous fuel is supplied into the cylinder to a diesel mode in which the liquid fuel is supplied into the cylinder, a supply-start timing of the liquid fuel is delayed relative to a supply-stop timing of the gaseous fuel.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/760,169, filed Mar. 14, 2018, which is a national stage applicationpursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Application No.PCT/JP2016/065253, filed May 24, 2016, which claims priority under 35U.S.C. § 119 to JP Application No. 2015-182481, filed Sep. 16, 2015, thedisclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an engine device of a multi-fueladoptable type for both gaseous fuels such as natural gas and liquidfuels such as heavy oil.

BACKGROUND ART

Traditionally, diesel engines are used as a drive source of vessels suchas tankers or transport ships and onshore power generation facilities.However, the exhaust gas of the diesel engine contains a large amount ofnitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, particulate matter, and the like whichare harmful substances hindering preservation of the environment. Forthis reason, in recent years, gas engines that can reduce the amount ofharmful substances generated are becoming prevalent as an alternativeengine for diesel engines.

A so-called gas engine that generates power by using a fuel gas such asnatural gas supplies a mixed gas obtained by mixing a fuel gas with theair to a cylinder and combust the same (see Patent Literature 1;hereinafter PTL 1). Further, as an engine device combining thecharacteristics of a diesel engine and characteristics of a gas engine,there is a dual-fuel engine which allows a use of a premixed combustionmode in which a mixture of a gaseous fuel (fuel gas) such as natural gasand air is supplied to a combustion chamber and combusted, incombination with a diffusion combustion mode in which a liquid fuel suchas crude oil is injected into the combustion chamber and combusted (seepatent Literature 2; hereinafter, PTL 2).

Further, as a dual-fuel engine, a multifuel engine or a bi-fuel enginehas been suggested which adjusts a gaseous fuel and a liquid fuel at atime of switching from a gas mode using the gaseous fuel to a dieselmode using the liquid fuel (see Patent Literature 3 and PatentLiterature 4; hereinafter, referred to as PTL 3 and PTL 4,respectively). Further, as a dual-fuel engine, a bi-fuel internalcombustion engine which restrains fuel shortage in cylinders byadvancing the fuel injection timing immediately after switching, in acase of performing switching between a gaseous fuel and a liquid fuel asneeded according to the operational state (see Patent Literature 5;hereinafter, PTL 5).

In cases of switching from the gas mode to the diesel mode in thedual-fuel engine, there is one that stops supplying of the gaseous fueland starts supplying the liquid fuel at the same time, unlike PTL 3 andPTL 4. Since supply of the gaseous fuel is conducted in an air intakestroke while the supply of the liquid fuel is conducted in a compressingstroke, the gaseous fuel and the liquid fuel may be supplied at the sametime into a single cylinder, depending on the timing of switching theoperation from the gas mode to the diesel mode. Even if fuel injectiontiming advance control of PTL 5 is adopted, it only restrains fuelshortage in the cylinder and does not prevent excessive fuel supply atthe time of switching from the gas mode to the diesel mode.

A large-size engine device for a ship, in particular, is required tooperate in the diesel mode to sustain navigation of the ship in cases ofemergency. However, when the gas mode is switched to the diesel mode insuch an emergency, a traditional engine device may suspend its operationand stop the ship, due to abnormal combustion or an excessively highin-cylinder pressure caused by an excessive supply of the fuel into thecylinder, or due to misfire caused by insufficient fuel in the cylinder.

In view of the current circumstances described above, it is a technicalobject of the present invention to provide an improved multi-fueladoptable type engine device.

CITATION LIST

PTL 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-262139

PTL 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-004899

PTL 3: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H08-004562 (1996)

PTL 4: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-017594

PTL 5: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-132171

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

An aspect of the present invention is an engine device including: anintake manifold configured to supply air into a cylinder; an exhaustmanifold configured to output exhaust gas from the cylinder; a gasinjector which mixes a gaseous fuel with the air supplied from theintake manifold; and a main fuel injection valve configured to inject aliquid fuel into the cylinder for combustion, the gas injector and themain fuel injection valve being provided to each of a plurality of thecylinders, wherein at a time of switching from a gas mode in which thegaseous fuel is supplied into the cylinder to a diesel mode in which theliquid fuel is supplied into the cylinder, a supply-start timing of theliquid fuel is delayed relative to a supply-stop timing of the gaseousfuel.

The above engine device may further include: an engine rotation sensorconfigured to measure an engine rotation number, wherein a delay periodby which the supply-start timing of the liquid fuel is delayed relativeto the supply-stop timing of the gaseous fuel is set based on the enginerotation number measured by the engine rotation sensor.

Further, the above engine device may be such that: the gaseous fuel issupplied in an air intake stroke in the gas mode, and the liquid fuel issupplied in a compressing stroke in the diesel mode, and the delayperiod is set longer than a period taken by the compressing stroke, butshorter than a period taken by the air intake stroke and the compressingstroke.

Further, the above engine device may be such that: the gaseous fuel issupplied in an air intake stroke in the gas mode, and the liquid fuel issupplied in a compressing stroke in the diesel mode, and after the gasmode is switched to the diesel mode, supply of the liquid fuel isstarted for the cylinder in the compressing stroke, only whenconfirmation is made that no gaseous fuel has been supplied to thatcylinder in the immediately previous air intake stroke.

The above engine device may include an igniter configured to ignite, inthe cylinder, a premixed fuel obtained by pre-mixing the gaseous fuelwith the air, wherein the igniter is operated in both the gas mode andthe diesel mode.

Further, the above engine device may include an igniter configured toignite, in the cylinder, a premixed fuel obtained by pre-mixing thegaseous fuel with the air, wherein the igniter is operated in the gasmode, while the igniter is stopped in the diesel mode.

In the present invention, the start of supplying the liquid fuel (startof operation in the diesel mode) is delayed relative to the stop ofsupplying the gaseous fuel (stop of operation in the gas mode), at atime of switching from the gas mode to the diesel mode. Therefore, theengine device selectively supplies the gaseous fuel or the liquid fuelto each cylinder at the time of switching from the gas mode to thediesel mode, and can prevent the gaseous fuel supply and the liquid fuelsupply from overlapping each other. Therefore, at the time of switchingfrom the gas mode to the diesel mode, here will not be a case where boththe gaseous fuel and the liquid fuel are supplied to a single cylinder,and it is possible to avoid an excessive supply of the fuel to thecylinder, and to prevent an excessively high in-cylinder pressure andabnormal combustion. Therefore, a stable operation is achieved.

In the present invention, the liquid fuel supply is enabled to start thediesel mode, when a cylinder having reached the timing of supplying theliquid fuel and having no gaseous fuel supplied therein is confirmed forthe first time after the gaseous fuel supply is stopped. Thus, at a timeof switching from the gas mode to the diesel mode, the gaseous fuel orthe liquid fuel can be selectively supplied to the cylinder, while thetime for switching over is minimized. Therefore, at the time ofswitching from the gas mode to the diesel mode, the gaseous fuel supplyand the liquid fuel supply are not performed to a single cylinder in anoverlapping manner, and it is possible to avoid an excessive supply ofthe fuel to the cylinder, and to prevent an excessively high in-cylinderpressure and abnormal combustion. Further, since it is possible to avoida situation in which neither the gaseous fuel nor the liquid fuel issupplied to the cylinder at a time of switching from the gas mode to thediesel mode, misfire at the time of switching can be prevented, and astable operation can be achieved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an overall side view of a ship in an embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a side cross sectional view of an engine room.

FIG. 3 illustrates an explanatory plan view of the engine room.

FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic view showing a structure of a fuel supplypath of an engine device in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic view schematically illustrating thestructure of an intake/exhaust passage in the engine device.

FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic view schematically illustrating thestructure of the inside of a cylinder head in the engine device.

FIG. 7 illustrates a control block diagram of the engine device.

FIG. 8 illustrates an explanatory diagram showing an operation in thecylinder, in each of a gas mode and a diesel mode.

FIG. 9 illustrates a state transition diagram showing operation statesof each cylinder in the engine device structured by six gas columns.

FIG. 10 illustrates a perspective view showing a side (right side face)of the engine device of the embodiment of the present invention, onwhich side an exhaust manifold is installed.

FIG. 11 illustrates a perspective view showing a side (right side face)of the engine device, on which side a fuel injection pump is installed.

FIG. 12 illustrates a left side view of the engine device.

FIG. 13 illustrates a diagram for explaining the air-fuel ratio controlwith respect to a load when the engine device is operated in the gasmode.

FIG. 14 illustrates a flowchart showing operations in a diesel modeswitching control by an engine controlling device.

FIG. 15 illustrates a timing chart showing an example of operationstates of each cylinder in the engine device, at a time of switchingfrom the gas mode to the diesel mode, based on the diesel mode switchingcontrol.

FIG. 16 illustrates a flowchart showing another example of operations inthe diesel mode switching control device by the engine controllingdevice.

FIG. 17 illustrates a flowchart showing operations in a diesel modeswitching control by an engine controlling device of another embodiment.

FIG. 18 illustrates a timing chart showing an example of operationstates of each cylinder in an engine device, at a time of switching froma gas mode to a diesel mode, based on the diesel mode switching controlof the other embodiment.

FIG. 19 illustrates a timing chart showing another example of operationstates of each cylinder in the engine device, at a time of switchingfrom the gas mode to the diesel mode, based on the diesel mode switchingcontrol of the other embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The following description is based on drawings showing an application ofan embodiment embodying the present invention to a pair ofpropulsion/electric power generating mechanisms mounted in a ship havinga two-engine two-shaft structure.

First, an overview of the ship is described. As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG.3, the ship 1 of the present embodiment includes: a ship hull 2, a cabin3 (bridge) provided on the stern side of the ship hull 2, a funnel 4(chimney) positioned behind the cabin 3, and a pair of propellers 5 anda rudder 6 provided on a lower back portion of the ship hull 2. In thiscase, a pair of skegs 8 are integrally formed on the ship bottom 7 onthe stern side. On each of the skegs 8, a propeller shaft 9 for drivingto rotate the propeller 5 is pivotally supported. The skegs 8 aresymmetrically formed on the left and right, with respect to the shiphull center line CL (see FIG. 3) which divides the lateral widthdirection of the ship hull 2. That is, the first embodiment adopts atwin skeg as the stern shape of the ship hull 2.

On a bow side and a middle part of the ship hull 2, a hold 10 isprovided. On the stern side of the ship hull 2, an engine room 11 isprovided. In the engine room 11, a pair of propulsion/electric powergenerating mechanisms 12 each serving as a drive source for propeller 5and as an electric power supply of the ship 1 is positioned on the leftand right across the ship hull center line CL. The rotary powertransmitted from each propulsion/electric power generating mechanism 12to the propeller shaft 9 drives and rotates the propeller 5. The insideof the engine room 11 is parted relative to the up and down directions,by an upper deck 13, a second deck 14, a third deck 15, and an innerbottom plate 16. The propulsion/electric power generating mechanisms 12of the first embodiment are installed on the inner bottom plate 16 atthe lower most stage of the engine room 11. It should be noted that,although details are not illustrated, the hold 10 is divided into aplurality of compartments.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, each propulsion/electric power generatingmechanism 12 is a combination of: a medium-speed engine device 21(dual-fuel engine, in the embodiment) which serves as a drive source ofthe propeller 5; a speed reducer 22 configured to transmit power of theengine device 21 to the propeller shaft 9; and a shaft-driven generator23 which generates electric power by the power of the engine device 21.The term “medium-speed” engine herein means one that drives at arotational speed of approximately 500 to 1000 times per minute. In thisconnection, a “low-speed” engine drives at a rotational speed of 500times or less per minute, and a “high-speed” engine drives at arotational speed of 1000 times or more per minute. The engine device 21of the embodiment is configured to drive at a constant speed within arange of medium-speed (approximately 700 to 750 times per minute).

The engine device 21 includes: a cylinder block 25 having an engineoutput shaft (crank shaft) 24, and cylinder heads 26 mounted on thecylinder block 25. On the inner bottom plate 16 at the lower most stageof the engine room 11, a base mount 27 is mounted directly or through avibration isolator (not shown). On this base mount 27, the cylinderblock 25 of the engine device 21 is mounted. The engine output shaft 24extends in the front/rear length direction of the ship hull 2. That is,the engine device 21 is arranged in the engine room 11 with thedirection of the engine output shaft 24 directed in the front/rearlength direction of the ship hull 2.

The speed reducer 22 and the shaft-driven generator 23 are disposed onthe stern side of the engine device 21. From the rear surface side ofthe engine device 21, a rear end side of an engine output shaft 24protrudes. On the rear end side of the engine output shaft, the speedreducer 22 is coupled in such a manner as to be capable of transmittingpower. The shaft-driven generator 23 is arranged on the opposite side ofthe engine device 21 across the speed reducer 22. The engine device 21,the speed reducer 22, and the shaft-driven generator 23 are aligned inthis order from the front of the engine room 11. In this case, the speedreducer 22 and the shaft-driven generator 23 are arranged in or nearbythe skegs 8 on the stern side. Therefore, regardless of the limitationof the buttock line of the ship 1, it is possible to arrange the enginedevice 21 as close as possible to the stern side, contributing to thecompactification of the engine room 11.

A propeller shaft 9 is provided on the downstream side of the powertransmission of the speed reducer 22. The outer shape of the speedreducer 22 protrudes downward than the engine device 21 and theshaft-driven generator 23. To the rear surface side of this protrudingportion, the front end side of the propeller shaft 9 is coupled so as toenable power transmission. The engine output shaft 24 (axial centerline) and the propeller shaft 9 are coaxially positioned in plan view.The propeller shaft 9 extends in the front/rear length direction of theship hull 2, while being shifted in the vertical direction from theengine output shaft 24 (axial center line). In this case, the propellershaft 9 is located at a position lower than the shaft-driven generator23 and the engine output shaft 24 (axial center line) in side view, andclose to the inner bottom plate 16. In other words, the shaft-drivengenerator 23 and the propeller shaft 9 are sorted up and down and do notinterfere with each other. Therefore, it is possible to make eachpropulsion/electric power generating mechanism 12 compact.

The constant speed power of the engine device 21 is branched andtransmitted from the rear end side of the engine output shaft 24 to theshaft-driven generator 23 and the propeller shaft 9, via the speedreducer 22. Apart of the constant speed power of the engine device 21 isreduced by the speed reducer 22 to, for example, a rotational speed ofapproximately 100 to 120 rotations per minute and is transmitted to thepropeller shaft 9. The propeller 5 is driven and rotated by thespeed-reduced power from the speed reducer 22. It should be noted that,as the propeller 5, a variable-pitch propeller capable of adjusting theship speed through changing the blade angles of the propeller blades. Apart of the constant speed power of the engine device 21 is reduced bythe speed reducer 22 to, for example, a rotational speed ofapproximately 1200 to 1800 rotations per minute and is transmitted tothe PTO shaft pivotally supported by the speed reducer 22. The rear endside of the PTO shaft of the speed reducer 22 is connected to theshaft-driven generator 23 in such manner as to be capable oftransmitting the power, and the shaft-driven generator 23 is driven togenerate electric power based on the rotary power from the speed reducer22. Generated electric power by the shaft-driven generator 23 issupplied to electric system in the ship hull 2.

To the engine device 21, an intake path (not shown) for taking in theair and an exhaust path 28 for outputting exhaust gas are connected. Theair takin in through the intake path is fed into cylinders 36 (intocylinders of air intake stroke) of the engine device 21. Further, sincethere are two engine devices 21, there are two exhaust paths 28. Eachexhaust path 28 is connected to an extension path 29. The extension path29 extends to the funnel 4, and is structured to be directly incommunication with the outside. The exhaust gas from the engine device21 is emitted outside the ship 1 through the exhaust path 28 and theextension path 29.

As is apparent from the above description, there is a pair ofpropulsion/electric power generating mechanisms 12 each of which is acombination of the engine device 21, the speed reducer 22 configured totransmit power from the engine device 21 to the propeller shaft 9 whichdrives and rotate propeller 5 for propelling the ship, and theshaft-driven generator 23 configured to generate electric power with thepower from the engine device 21. The pair of propulsion/electric powergenerating mechanisms 12 are arranged and sorted on the left side of theship hull center line CL, in the engine room 11 of the ship hull 2.Therefore, the space for setting up in the engine room 11 is downsizedas compared with a traditional structure in which a plurality of engines(main engine and auxiliary engine) in an engine room. Therefore, theengine room 11 can be structured compact by shortening the front/rearlength of the engine room 11, which in turn facilitates ensuring a holdspace (space other than the engine room 11) in the ship hull 2. Twopropellers 5 for driving can improve the propulsion efficiency of theship 1.

Since there are two engine devices 21 which are each a main engine, forexample, even when one of the engine devices 21 brakes down and cannotbe driven, the other one of the engine devices 21 enables thenavigation, and it is possible to ensure redundancy in the motor deviceof the ship and in turn the ship 1. Further, as is hereinabovementioned, rotation drive of the propellers 5 and the drive of theshaft-driven generator 23 are possible with the engine devices 21, oneof the shaft-driven generators 23 can be reserved as a spare during anordinary cruise. Therefore, for example, if one engine device 21 or theshaft-driven generator 23 breaks down thus shutting down electric powersupply, the power supply can be recovered by activating the othershaft-driven generator 23 and establishing the frequency and thevoltage. Further, if the engine device 21 stops during the cruise withonly that one engine device 21, the power supply can be recovered byactivating the other engine device 21 having been stopped and in turn,the shaft-driven generator 23 corresponding to the other engine device21 and establishing the frequency and the voltage.

Next, the following describes, with reference to FIG. 4 to FIG. 7, aschematic structure of the dual-fuel engine 21 used as the main enginein the above-described ship 1. The dual-fuel engine 21 (hereinafter,simply referred to as “engine device 21”) is selectively driven in oneof: a premixed combustion mode in which fuel gas such as natural gas ismixed and combusted with the air; and a diffusion combustion mode inwhich a liquid fuel (fuel oil) such as crude oil is diffused andcombusted. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a fuel system of the enginedevice 21. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an intake/exhaust system of theengine device 21. FIG. 7 is a control block diagram of the engine device21.

As shown in FIG. 4, the engine device 21 is such that fuel is suppliedfrom two systems of fuel supply paths 30, 31, and one of the fuel supplypaths 30 is connected to a gas fuel tank 32, while the other one of thefuel supply paths 31 is connected to a liquid fuel tank 33. That is, theengine device 21 is structured so that the fuel gas is supplied from thefuel supply path 30 to the engine device 21, and that fuel oil issupplied to the engine device 21 from the fuel supply path 31. The fuelsupply path 30 includes: a gas fuel tank 32 configured to storeliquefied gaseous fuel; a vaporizing device 34 configured to vaporizethe liquefied fuel (fuel gas) in the gas fuel tank 32; and a gas valveunit 35 configured to adjust a fuel gas supply amount from thevaporizing device 34 to the engine device 21. That is, in the structureof the fuel supply path 30, the vaporizing device 34 and the gas valveunit 35 are arranged in this order from the gas fuel tank 32 towards theengine device 21.

As shown in FIG. 5, the engine device 21 has a structure in which aplurality of cylinders 36 (six cylinders in the present embodiment) areserially aligned in a later-described cylinder block 25. Each cylinder36 is in communication with an intake manifold (intake passage) 67structured in the cylinder block 25, through an intake port 37. Eachcylinder 36 is in communication with an exhaust manifold (exhaust gaspassage) 44 arranged above the cylinder heads 26, through an exhaustport 38. To the intake port 37 of each cylinder 36, a gas injector 98 isarranged. Therefore, while the air from the intake manifold 67 issupplied to each cylinder 36 through the intake port 37, the exhaust gasfrom each cylinder 36 is ejected to the exhaust manifold 44 through theexhaust port 38. Further, while the engine device 21 is operated in thegas mode, the fuel gas is supplied from the gas injector 98 to theintake port 37. The fuel gas is then mixed with the air from the intakemanifold 67, and a premixed gas is supplied to each cylinder 36.

An exhaust gas outlet side of the exhaust manifold 44 is connected to anexhaust gas inlet of a turbine 49 a of a turbocharger 49 is connected.An air inlet side (fresh air inlet side) of the intake manifold 67 isconnected to an air ejection port (fresh air outlet) of an intercooler51. An air inlet port (fresh air inlet) of the intercooler 51 isconnected to the air ejection port (fresh air outlet) of a compressor 49b of the turbocharger 49. Between the compressor 49 b and theintercooler 51, a main throttle valve V1 is arranged. By adjusting thevalve opening degree of the main throttle valve V1, the flow rate of airto be supplied to the intake manifold 67 is adjusted.

A supplied-air bypass passage 17 configured to circulate a part of theair exhausted from the outlet of the compressor 49 b to the inlet of thecompressor 49 b connects the air inlet port (fresh air inlet) side ofthe compressor 49 b with the air outlet side of the intercooler 51. Thatis, the supplied-air bypass passage 17 is opened to the outside air onthe upstream side of the air inlet port of the compressor 49 b, whilebeing connected to a connection part of the intercooler 51 and theintake manifold 67. On this supplied-air bypass passage 17, asupplied-air bypass valve V2 is arranged. By adjusting the valve openingdegree of the supplied-air bypass valve V2, the flow rate of air fromthe downstream side of the intercooler 51 to the intake manifold 67 isadjusted.

The exhaust bypass passage 18 which bypasses the turbine 49 a connectsthe exhaust gas outlet side of the turbine 49 a and the exhaust gasoutlet side of the exhaust manifold 44. That is, the exhaust bypasspassage 18 is opened to the outside air on the downstream side of theexhaust gas outlet of the turbine 49 a, while being connected to aconnection part of the exhaust gas outlet of the turbine 49 a and theexhaust gas inlet of the turbine 49 a. On this exhaust bypass passage18, an exhaust bypass valve V3 is arranged. By adjusting the valveopening degree of the exhaust bypass valve V3, the exhaust gas flow rateflowing in the turbine 49 a, and adjust the air compression amount inthe compressor 49 b.

The engine device 21 includes: a turbocharger 49 configured to compressthe air by the exhaust gas from the exhaust manifold 44; and anintercooler 51 configured to cool compressed air compressed by theturbocharger 49 and supply the compressed air to the intake manifold 67.In the engine device 21, the main throttle valve V1 is provided at theconnecting portion between the outlet of the turbocharger 49 and theinlet of the intercooler 51. The engine device 21 includes an exhaustbypass passage 18 connecting an outlet of the exhaust manifold 44 and anexhaust gas outlet of the turbocharger 49, and an exhaust bypass valveV3 is arranged in the exhaust bypass passage 18. In cases of optimizingthe turbocharger 49 for a diesel mode specification, an air-fuel ratiosuitable for an engine load is achieved even in the gas mode, bycontrolling the opening degree of the exhaust bypass valve V3 accordingto fluctuation in the engine load. Therefore, shortage and surplus inthe air amount necessary for combustion can be prevented at a time ofload fluctuation, and the engine device 21 is suitably operated in thegas mode, even if the turbocharger optimized for the diesel mode isused.

The engine device 21 includes the supplied-air bypass passage 17configured to bypass the turbocharger 49, and the supplied-air bypassvalve V2 is arranged in the supplied-air bypass passage 17. Bycontrolling the opening degree of the supplied-air bypass valve V2according to fluctuation in the engine load, air that matches with theair-fuel ratio required for combustion of the fuel gas is supplied tothe engine. Further, by performing in combination a control operation bythe supplied-air bypass valve V2 with a good responsiveness, theresponse speed to the load fluctuation during the gas mode can beaccelerated.

In the engine device 21, the supplied-air bypass passage 17 is connectedin a position between the inlet of the intercooler 51 and the mainthrottle valve V1, the compressed air ejected from the compressor 49 bis circulated to the inlet of the compressor 49 b. This way, theresponsiveness of the flow rate control by the exhaust bypass valve V3is compensated by the supplied-air bypass valve V2, and the control bandof the supplied-air bypass valve V2 is compensated by the exhaust bypassvalve V3. Therefore, the followability of the air-fuel ratio controlduring the gas mode can be made favorable, when the load fluctuationtakes place or at a time of switching the operation mode in a shipboardapplication.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the engine device 21, a cylinder 77 (cylinder 36)having a cylindrical shape is inserted in the cylinder block 25. Byhaving the piston 78 reciprocating in the up-down directions in thecylinder 77, the engine output shaft 24 on the lower side of thecylinder 77 is rotated. On each of the cylinder heads 26 on the cylinderblock 25, a main fuel injection valve 79 which receives fuel oil (liquidfuel) from fuel oil pipes 42 has its leading end inserted into thecylinder 77. This fuel injection valve 79 has its leading end arrangedin a center position on the upper end surface of the cylinder 77, andinjects the fuel oil into the main combustion chamber structured by theupper surface of the piston 78 and the inner wall surface of thecylinder 77. Therefore, while the engine device 21 is driven in thediffusion combustion mode, the fuel oil is injected from the fuelinjection valve 79 into the main combustion chamber in the cylinder 77,and reacts with the compressed air to cause diffusion combustion.

In each cylinder head 26, an intake valve 80 and an exhaust valve 81 areinstalled on the outer circumference side of the main fuel injectionvalve 79. When the intake valve 80 opens, the air from the intakemanifold 67 is taken into the main chamber in the cylinder 77. On theother hand, when the exhaust valve 81 opens, the combustion gas (exhaustgas) in the main combustion chamber in the cylinder 77 is exhausted tothe exhaust manifold 44. By having a push rod (not shown) reciprocatingup and down according to the rotation of the cam shaft (not shown), thelocker arm (not shown) swings to reciprocate the intake valve 80 and theexhaust valve 81 in the up and down.

A pilot fuel injection valve 82 that generates ignition flames in themain combustion chamber is obliquely inserted with respect to thecylinder head 26 so its leading end is arranged nearby the leading endof the main fuel injection valve 79. The pilot fuel injection valve 82adopts a micro pilot injection method and has, on its leading end, a subchamber from which pilot fuel is injected. That is, in the pilot fuelinjection valve 82, the pilot fuel supplied from the common-rail 47 isinjected into the sub chamber and combusted, to generate ignition flamein the center position of the main combustion chamber in the cylinder77. Therefore, while the engine device 21 is driven in the premixedcombustion mode, the ignition flame generated by the pilot fuelinjection valve 82 causes reaction of a premixed gas which is suppliedin the main combustion chamber of the cylinder 77 through the intakevalve 80, thus leading to premixed combustion.

As shown in FIG. 7, the engine device 21 has an engine controllingdevice 73 configured to control each part of the engine device 21. Inthe engine device 21, the pilot fuel injection valve 82, a combustioninjection pump 89, and a gas injector 98 are provided for each cylinder36. The engine controlling device 73 provides control signals to thepilot fuel injection valve 82, the combustion injection pump 89, and thegas injector 98 to control injection of pilot fuel by the pilot fuelinjection valve 82, fuel oil supply by the fuel injection valve 89, andgas fuel supply by the gas injector 98.

As shown in FIG. 7, the engine device 21 includes a cam shaft 200having, for each cylinder 36, an exhaust cam, an intake cam, and a fuelcam not shown). The cam shaft 200 rotates the exhaust cam, the intakecam, and the fuel cam with rotary power transmitted from the crank shaft24 through a gear mechanism (not shown) to open and close the intakevalve 80 and the exhaust valve 81 of each cylinder 36 and to drive thefuel injection pump 89. The engine device 21 includes a speed adjuster201 configured to adjust a rack position of a control rack 202 in thefuel injection pump 89. The speed adjuster 201 measures the enginerotation number of the engine device 21 based on the rotation number ofthe leading end of the cam shaft 200, to set the rack position of thecontrol rack 202 in the fuel injection pump 89, thereby adjusting thefuel injection amount.

The engine controlling device 73 provides control signals to the mainthrottle valve V1 and the supplied-air bypass valve V2, and the exhaustbypass valve V3 to adjust their valve opening degrees, thereby adjustingthe air pressure (intake manifold pressure) in the intake manifold 67.The engine controlling device 73 detects the intake manifold pressurebased on a measurement signal from the pressure sensor 39 configured tomeasure the air pressure in the intake manifold 67. The enginecontrolling device 73 calculates the load imposed to the engine device21, based on a measurement signal from a load measuring device 19 suchas a watt transducer and a torque sensor. The engine controlling device73 detects the engine rotation number of the engine device 21, based ona measurement signal from an engine rotation sensor 20 such as a pulsesensor configured to measure the rotation number of the crank shaft 24.

When the engine device 21 is operated in the diesel mode, the enginecontrolling device 73 controls opening and closing of the control valvein the fuel injection pump 89, and causes combustion in each cylinder 36at a predetermined timing. That is, by opening the control valve of thefuel injection pump 89 according to an injection timing of each cylinder36, the fuel oil is injected into the cylinder 36 through the main fuelinjection valve 79, and ignited in the cylinder 36. Further, in thediesel mode, the engine controlling device 73 stops supply of the pilotfuel and the fuel gas.

In the diesel mode, the engine controlling device 73 performs feedbackcontrol for an injection timing of the main fuel injection valve 79 inthe cylinder 36, based on the engine load (engine output) measured bythe load measuring device 19 and the engine rotation number measured bythe engine rotation sensor 20. This way, the engine 21 outputs an engineload needed by propulsion/electric power generating mechanism 12 androtates at an engine rotation number according to the propulsion speedof the ship. Further, the engine controlling device 73 controls theopening degree of the main throttle valve V1 based on the intakemanifold pressure measured by the pressure sensor 39, so as to supplycompressed air from the turbocharger 49 to the intake manifold 67, at anair flow rate according to the required engine output.

While the engine device 21 is operated in the gas mode, the enginecontrolling device 73 adjusts the valve opening degree in the gasinjector 98 to set the flow rate of fuel gas supplied to each cylinder36. Then, the engine controlling device 73 controls opening and closingof the pilot fuel injection valve 82 to cause combustion in eachcylinder 36 at a predetermined timing. That is, the gas injector 98supplies the fuel gas to the intake port 37, at a flow rate based on thevalve opening degree, mix the fuel gas with the air from the intakemanifold 67, and supplies the premixed fuel to the cylinder 36. Then,the control valve of the pilot fuel injection valve 82 is openedaccording to the injection timing of each cylinder 36, therebygenerating an ignition source by the pilot fuel and ignite in thecylinder 36 to which the premixed gas is supplied. Further, in the gasmode, the engine controlling device 73 stops supply of the fuel oil.

In the gas mode, the engine controlling device 73 performs feedbackcontrol for the fuel gas flow rate by the gas injector 98 and for aninjection timing of the pilot fuel injection valve 82 in the cylinder36, based on the engine load measured by the load measuring device 19and the engine rotation number measured by the engine rotation sensor20. Further, the engine controlling device 73 adjusts the openingdegrees of the main throttle valve V1, the supplied-air bypass valve V2,and the exhaust bypass valve V3, based on the intake manifold pressuremeasured by the pressure sensor 39. This way, the intake manifoldpressure is adjusted to a pressure according to the required engineoutput, and the air-fuel ratio of the fuel gas supplied from the gasinjector 98 can be adjusted to a value according to the engine output.

As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, in the engine device 21, the air intakevalve 80 opens as the piston 78 drop in the cylinder 77, and the airfrom the intake manifold 67 flows into the cylinder 77 through theintake port 37 (air intake stroke). At this time, in the gas mode, thefuel gas is supplied from the gas injector 98 to the intake port 37. Thefuel gas is then mixed with the air from the intake manifold 67, and apremixed gas is supplied to each cylinder 77.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, in the engine device 21, the intakevalve 80 closes as the piston 78 rises, thereby compressing the air inthe cylinder 77 (compressing stroke). At this time, in the gas mode,when the piston 78 rises to the vicinity of the top dead point, anignition flame is generated by the pilot fuel injection valve 82, tocombust the premixed gas in the cylinder 77. In the diesel mode on theother hand, by opening the control valve of the fuel injection pump 89,the fuel oil is injected into the cylinder 77 through the main fuelinjection valve 79, and ignited in the cylinder 77.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, in the engine device 21, thecombustion gas (exhaust gas produced by combusting reaction) in thecylinder 77 expands due to the combustion, thus causing the piston 78 todrop (expansion stroke). After that, the piston 78 rises and the exhaustvalve 81 opens at the same time. Then, the combustion gas (exhaust gas)in the cylinder 77 is exhausted to the exhaust manifold 44 through theexhaust port 38 (exhaust stroke).

As shown in FIG. 5, the engine device 21 of the present embodimentincludes six cylinders 36 (cylinders 77). The state of each cylinder 36transits in an order of the air intake stroke, the compressing stroke,the expansion stroke, and the exhaust stroke shown in FIG. 8, at timingsdetermined for each cylinder 36. That is, state transitions to each ofthe air intake stroke, the compressing stroke, the expansion stroke, andthe exhaust stroke sequentially take place in the six cylinders 36 (#1to #6), in an order of #1->#5->#3->#6->#2->#4, as shown in FIG. 9. Thus,while the engine device 21 operates in the gas mode, fuel gas injectionfrom the gas injector 98 in the air intake stroke and ignition by thepilot fuel injection valve 82 in the compressing stroke are performed inan order of #1->#5->#3->#6->#2->#4. Similarly, while the engine device21 operates in the diesel mode, fuel oil injection from the main fuelinjection valve 79 in the compressing stroke are performed in an orderof #1->#5->#3->#6->#2->#4.

Next, the following details the structure of the dual-fuel engine 21(engine device 21) having the above schematic structure, with referenceto FIG. 10 to FIG. 12. In the following description, the positionalrelationship of the front, rear, left, and right in the structure of theengine device 21 are designated with the side connecting to the speedreducer 22 as the rear side.

As shown in FIG. 10 to FIG. 12, the engine device 21 has the cylinderheads 26 having a plurality of head covers 40 aligned in a single arrayin the front-rear direction, on the cylinder block 25 arranged on thebase mount 27 (see FIG. 2). The engine device 21 has a gas manifold(gaseous fuel pipe) 41 extended in parallel to the array of the headcovers 40, on the right side faces of the cylinder heads 26, and fueloil pipes (liquid fuel pipes) 42 extended in parallel to the array ofthe head covers 40, on the left side face of the cylinder block 25.Further, on the upper side of the gas manifold 41, the later-describedexhaust manifold (exhaust gas passage) 44 extends parallel to the arrayof the head covers 40.

Between the array of the head covers 40 and the exhaust manifold 44, anon-cylinder head cooling water pipe 46 connecting to a cooling waterpassage in the cylinder heads 26 is extended in parallel to the array ofthe head covers 40. On the upper side of the cooling water pipe 46, acommon-rail (pilot fuel pipe) 47 configured to supply a pilot fuel suchas light oil is extended in parallel to the array of the head covers 40,similarly to the cooling water pipe 46. At this time, the cooling waterpipe 46 is connected to and supported by the cylinder heads 26, and thecommon-rail 47 is connected to and supported by the cooling water pipe46.

The front end of the exhaust manifold 44 (exhaust gas outlet side) isconnected to the turbocharger 49 through the exhaust gas relay pipe 48.Therefore, exhaust gas exhausted through the exhaust manifold 44 flowsinto the turbine 49 a of the turbocharger 49 through the exhaust gasrelay pipe 48, thus rotating the turbine 49 a and rotating thecompressor 49 b on the same shaft as the turbine 49 a. The turbocharger49 is arranged on the upper side of the front end of the engine device21, and has the turbine 49 a on its right side, and the compressor 49 bon the left side. An exhaust gas outlet pipe 50 is arranged on the rightside of the turbocharger 49, and is connected to the exhaust gas outletof the turbine 49 a, to output exhaust gas from the turbine 49 a to theexhaust path 28 (see FIG. 2).

On the lower side of the turbocharger 49, an intercooler 51 that coolsdown a compressed air from the compressor 49 b of the turbocharger 49 isarranged. That is, on the front end side of the cylinder block 25, theintercooler 51 is installed, and the turbocharger 49 is placed in theupper part of the intercooler 51. In the laterally middle layer positionof the turbocharger 49, the air ejection port of the compressor 49 b isprovided so as to be open rearwards (towards the cylinder block 25). Onthe other hand, on the top surface of the intercooler 51, an air inletport is provided which opens upward, and through this air inlet port,compressed air ejected from the compressor 49 b flows into theintercooler 51. The air ejection port of the compressor 49 b and the airinlet port of the intercooler 51 are in communication with each otherthrough an intake relay pipe 52 two which one ends of the ports areconnected. The intake relay pipe 52 has the above-described mainthrottle valve V1 (see FIG. 5).

On the front end surface (front surface) of the engine device 21, acooling water pump 53, a pilot fuel pump 54, a lubricating oil pump(priming pump) 55, and a fuel oil pump 56 are installed on the outercircumference side of the engine output shaft 24. The cooling water pump53 and the fuel oil pump 56 are arranged up and down close to the leftside face, respectively, and the pilot fuel pump 54 and the lubricatingoil pump 55 are arranged up and down close to the right side face,respectively. Further, in the front end portion of the engine device 21,a rotation transmitting mechanism (not shown) configured to transmitrotary power of the engine output shaft 24. This way, the rotary powerfrom the engine output shaft 24 is transmitted through the rotationtransmitting mechanism to rotate the cooling water pump 53, the pilotfuel pump 54, the lubricating oil pump 55, and the fuel oil pump 56provided on the outer circumference of the engine output shaft 24.Further, in the cylinder block 25, a cam shaft (not shown) whose axialdirection is in the front-rear direction is pivotally supported on theupper side of the cooling water pump 53, and the cam shaft also rotatedby the rotary power of the engine output shaft 24 transmitted throughthe rotation transmitting mechanism.

On the lower side of the cylinder block 25, an oil pan 57 is provided,and the lubricating oil that flows in the cylinder block 25 isaccumulated in this oil pan 57. The lubricating oil pump 55 is connectedto a suction port at the lower side of the oil pan 57 via thelubricating oil pipe, and sucks the lubricating oil accumulated in theoil pan 57. Further, the lubricating oil pump 55 has its ejection porton the upper side connected to the lubricating oil inlet of alubricating oil cooler 58 through the lubricating oil pipe so as tosupply the lubricating oil sucked from the oil pan 57 to the lubricatingoil cooler 58. The front and the rear of the lubricating oil cooler 58serve as the lubricating oil inlet and the lubricating oil outlet,respectively, and the lubricating oil outlet is connected to alubricating oil strainer 59 through a lubricating oil pipe. The frontand the rear of the lubricating oil strainer 59 serve as the lubricatingoil inlet and the lubricating oil outlet, respectively, and thelubricating oil outlet is connected to the cylinder block 25. Thus, thelubricating oil fed from the lubricating oil pump 55 is cooled in thelubricating oil cooler 58, and then purified by the lubricating oilstrainer 59.

The turbocharger 49 pivotally supports, on the same shaft, thecompressor 49 b and the turbine 49 a arranged on the left and right.Based on rotation of the turbine 49 a introduced from the exhaustmanifold 44 through the exhaust gas relay pipe 48, the compressor 49 bis rotated. Further, the turbocharger 49 has, on the left side of thecompressor 49 b serving as fresh air intake side, an intake filter 63which removes dust from outside air introduced and a fresh air passagepipe 64 connecting the intake filter 63 and the compressor 49 b. Byhaving the compressor 49 b rotate in sync with the turbine 49 a, theoutside air (air) taken in to the intake filter 63 is introduced intothe compressor 49 b through the turbocharger 49. The compressor 49 bthen compresses the air taken in from the left side and ejects thecompressed air to the intake relay pipe 52 installed on the rear side.

The intake relay pipe 52 has its upper front portion opened andconnected to the ejection port on the rear of the compressor 49 b, andhas its lower side opened and connected to the inlet port on the topsurface of the intercooler 51. Further, at a branching port provided onan air passage on the front surface of the intercooler 51, one end of asupplied-air bypass pipe 66 (supplied-air bypass passage 17) isconnected, and a part of compressed air cooled by the intercooler 51 isejected to the supplied-air bypass pipe 66. Further, the other end ofthe supplied-air bypass pipe 66 is connected to a branching portprovided on the front surface of the fresh air passage pipe 64, and apart of the compressed air cooled by the intercooler 51 is circulated tothe fresh air passage pipe 64 through the supplied-air bypass pipe 66,and merges with the outside air from the intake filter 63. Further, thesupplied-air bypass pipe 66 has the supplied-air bypass valve V2arranged in its midway portion.

In the intercooler 51, compressed air from the compressor 49 b flows infrom the left rear side through the intake relay pipe 52, and thecompressed air is cooled through a heat exchanging action with coolingwater supplied from water-supply pipe. The compressed air cooled on aleft chamber inside the intercooler 51 flows in the air passage on thefront and is introduced into a right chamber, and then ejected to theintake manifold 67 through an ejection port provided on the rear of theright chamber. The intake manifold 67 is provided on the right side faceof the cylinder block 25, and is extended in parallel to the head cover40, on the lower side of the gas manifold 41. It should be noted that,the flow rate of the compressed air supplied to the intake manifold 67is set by determining the flow rate of the compressed air circulatedfrom the intercooler 51 to the compressor 49 b according to the openingdegree of the supplied-air bypass valve V2.

Further, the turbine 49 a of the turbocharger 49 connects the inlet portat the rear with the exhaust gas relay pipe 48, and connects theejection port on the right side with the exhaust gas outlet 50. Thisway, in the turbocharger 49, exhaust gas is introduced to the inside ofthe turbine 49 a from the exhaust manifold 44 through the exhaust gasrelay pipe 48, thus rotating the turbine 49 a as well as the compressor49 b, and is exhausted from the exhaust gas outlet pipe 50 to theexhaust path 28 (see FIG. 2). The exhaust gas relay pipe 48 has its rearside opened and connected with the ejection port of the exhaust manifold44 through a bellows pipe, while having its front side opened andconnected to the inlet port on the rear side of the turbine 49 a.

Further, a branching port is provided on the right face side in a midwayposition of the exhaust gas relay pipe 48, and one end of an exhaustbypass pipe 69 (exhaust bypass passage 18) is connected to thisbranching port of the exhaust gas relay pipe 48. The other end of theexhaust bypass pipe 69 is connected to a merging port provided at therear of the exhaust gas outlet pipe 50, and bypasses a part of exhaustgas ejected from the exhaust manifold 44 to the exhaust gas outlet pipe50 without the turbocharger 49. Further, the exhaust bypass pipe 69 hasthe exhaust bypass valve V3 in its midway portion, and the flow rate ofexhaust gas supplied to the turbine 49 a is adjusted by setting the flowrate of the exhaust gas to be bypassed from the exhaust manifold 44 tothe exhaust gas outlet pipe 50, according to the opening degree of theexhaust bypass valve V3.

A machine side operation control device 71 configured to controlstarting up and stopping and the like of the engine device 21 is fixedto the left side face of the intercooler 51 through a supporting stay(support member) 72. The machine side operation control device 71includes a switch that receives an operation by operating personnel forstarting up or stopping the engine device 21, and a display thatindicates states of each part of the engine device 21. The speedadjuster 201 is fixed on the front end of the left side face of thecylinder head 26. On the rear end side of the left side face of thecylinder block 25, an engine starting device 75 configured to start theengine device 21 is fixed.

Further, the engine controlling device 73 configured to controloperations of each part of the engine device 21 is fixed on the trailingend surface of the cylinder block 25 through a supporting stay(supporting member 74). On the rear end side of the cylinder block 25,there is installed a flywheel 76 connected to the speed reducer 22 torotate, and the engine controlling device 73 is arranged in an upperpart of a flywheel 76. The engine controlling device 73 is electricallyconnected to sensors (a pressure sensor and a temperature sensor) ineach part of the engine device 21 to collect temperature data, pressuredata, and the like of each part of the engine device 21, and provideselectromagnetic signals to an electromagnetic valve and the like of eachpart of the engine device 21 to control various operations (fuel oilinjection, pilot fuel injection, gas injection, cooling watertemperature adjustment, and the like) of the engine device 21.

The cylinder block 25 is provided with a stepwise portion on the upperside of the left side face, and the same number of fuel injection pumps89 as those of the head covers 40 and the cylinder heads 26 areinstalled on the top surface of the stepwise portion of the cylinderblock 25. The fuel injection pumps 89 are arranged in a single arrayalong the left side face of the cylinder block 25, and their left sidefaces are connected to the fuel oil pipes (liquid fuel pipes) 42, andtheir upper ends are connected to the left side face of the cylinderhead 26 on the right front, through fuel discharge pipes 90. Of twoupper and lower fuel oil pipes 42, one is an oil supply pipe thatsupplies fuel oil to the fuel injection pump 89, and the other is an oilreturn pipe that returns the fuel oil from the fuel injection pump 89.Further, the fuel discharge pipes 90 each connects to a main fuelinjection valve 79 (see FIG. 6) via a fuel passage in each cylinder head26 to supply the fuel oil from the fuel injection pump 89 to the mainfuel injection valve 79.

The fuel injection pumps 89 are provided in parallel to the array of thehead covers 40, in positions at the rear left of the cylinder heads 26each connected to the fuel discharge pipe 90, on the stepwise portion ofthe cylinder block 25. Further, the fuel injection pumps 89 are alignedin a single array in position between the cylinder heads 26 and the fueloil pipes 42. Each fuel injection pump 89 performs an operation ofpushing up a plunger by rotation of pump cam on the cam shaft (notshown) in the cylinder block 25. By pushing up the plunger, the fuelinjection pump 89 raises the pressure of the fuel oil supplied to thefuel oil pipe 42 to a high pressure, and supplies the high pressure fueloil in the cylinder head 26 to the fuel injection pump 89 via the fueldischarge pipe 90.

The front end of the common-rail 47 is connected to the ejection side ofthe pilot fuel pump 54, and the pilot fuel ejected from the pilot fuelpump 54 is supplied to the common-rail 47. Further, the gas manifold 41extends along the array of the head covers 40 at a height positionbetween the exhaust manifold 44 and the intake manifold 67. The gasmanifold 41 includes a gas main pipe 41 a extending in the front/reardirection and having its front end connected to a gas inlet pipe 97; anda plurality of gas branch pipes 41 b branched off from the upper surfaceof the gas main pipe 41 a towards the cylinder heads 26. The gas mainpipe 41 a has on its upper surface connection flanges at regularintervals, which are fastened to the inlet side flanges of the gasbranch pipes 41 b. An end portion of each gas branch pipe 41 b on theopposite side to the portion connecting to the gas main pipe 41 a isconnected to the right side face of a sleeve in which the gas injector98 is inserted from above.

Next, the following describe, with mainly FIG. 13 and the like, an airflow rate control at a time of operating the dual-fuel engine 21 (enginedevice 21) having the above-described structure in the gas mode.

As shown in FIG. 13, the engine controlling device 73 performs afeedback control (PID control) with respect to the valve opening degreeof the main throttle valve V1, when the engine load is in a low loadrange (load range of not more than load L4) and less than apredetermined load L1. At this time, the engine controlling device 73sets a target value (target pressure) of the intake manifold pressureaccording to the engine load. Then, the engine controlling device 73receives a measurement signal from the pressure sensor 39 and confirmsthe measured value (measured pressure) of the intake manifold pressureto obtain the difference from the target pressure. This way, based onthe difference value between the target pressure and the measuredpressure, the engine controlling device 73 executes the PID control ofthe valve opening degree of the main throttle valve V1 to bring the airpressure of the intake manifold 67 close to the target pressure.

When the engine load is the predetermined load L1 or higher, the enginecontrolling device 73 performs a map control with respect to the valveopening degree of the main throttle valve V1. At this time, the enginecontrolling device 73 refers to a data table DT1 storing the valveopening degrees of the main throttle valve V1 relative to the engineloads, and sets a valve opening degree of the main throttle valve V1corresponding to the engine load. When the engine load is a load L2(L1<L2<Lth<L4) or higher, the engine controlling device 73 performscontrol to fully open the main throttle valve V1. It should be notedthat the load L2 is in the low load range, and is set to be a lower loadthan a load Lth at which the intake manifold pressure is the atmosphericpressure.

When the engine load is in the low load range and lower than apredetermined load L3 (Lth<L3<L4), the engine controlling device 73performs control to fully open the supplied-air bypass valve V2. Whenthe engine load is the predetermined load L3 or higher, the enginecontrolling device 73 performs feedback control (PID control) withrespect to the valve opening degree of the supplied-air bypass valve V2.At this time, based on the difference value between the target pressureaccording to the engine load and the measured pressure by the pressuresensor 39, the engine controlling device 73 executes the PID control ofthe valve opening degree of the supplied-air bypass valve V2 to bringthe air pressure of the intake manifold 67 close to the target pressure.

The engine controlling device 73 performs map control with respect tothe valve opening degree of the exhaust bypass valve V3, throughout theentire range of engine load. At this time, the engine controlling device73 refers to a data table DT2 storing the valve opening degrees of theexhaust bypass valve V3 relative to the engine loads, and sets a valveopening degree of the exhaust bypass valve V3 corresponding to theengine load. That is, when the engine load is lower than thepredetermined load L1, the exhaust bypass valve V3 is fully opened. Whenthe engine load is higher than the predetermined load L1, the openingdegree of the exhaust bypass valve V3 is monotonically reduced, and theexhaust bypass valve V3 is fully opened at the predetermined load L2.Then, while the engine load is higher than the predetermined load L2,but not more than the predetermined load L3, the exhaust bypass valve V3is fully opened. When the engine load is higher than the predeterminedload L3 in the low load range, the opening degree of the exhaust bypassvalve V3 is monotonically increased with respect to the engine load.That is, the exhaust bypass valve V3 is gradually opened.

As shown in FIG. 13, when the load imposed to the engine (engine load)is in the low load range, and higher than a first predetermined load L3,the engine controlling device 73 controls the opening degree of the mainthrottle valve V1 to be fully opened. Further, the engine controllingdevice 73 adjusts the pressure of the intake manifold 67 to a targetvalue according to the load, by performing feedback control (PIDcontrol) with respect to the supplied-air bypass valve V2 and byperforming map control with respect to the exhaust bypass valve V3.While the load on the engine is the first predetermined load L3, thesupplied-air bypass valve V2 and the exhaust bypass valve V3 are fullyopened.

In cases of optimizing the turbocharger 49 for a diesel modespecification, the responsiveness of the pressure control for the intakemanifold 67 is made suitable even in the gas mode operation, bycontrolling the opening degree of the supplied-air bypass valve V2according to fluctuation in the engine load. Therefore, shortage andsurplus in the air amount necessary for combustion are prevented at atime of load fluctuation, and the engine device 21 is suitably operatedin the gas mode, even if it uses the turbocharger 49 optimized for thediesel mode.

Further, by controlling the opening degree of the exhaust bypass valveV3 according to fluctuation in the engine load, air that matches withthe air-fuel ratio required for combustion of the gaseous fuel issupplied to the engine device 21. Further, by performing in combinationa control operation by the supplied-air bypass valve V2 with a goodresponsiveness, the response speed to the load fluctuation during thegas mode can be accelerated. Therefore, knocking due to an insufficientamount of air required for combustion at the time of load fluctuationcan be prevented.

Further, when the engine load is in the low load range and is lower thana second predetermined load L1 which is lower than the firstpredetermined load L3, the feedback control (PID control) is performedwith respect to the main throttle valve V1. On the other hand, when theengine load is higher than the second predetermined load L1, the enginecontrolling device 73 performs the map control based on the data tableDT1 with respect to the main throttle valve V1. Further, when the engineload is determined as to be lower than the predetermined load L1, thesupplied-air bypass valve V2 is fully opened, and the exhaust bypassvalve V3 is fully opened. That is, when the pressure of the exhaustmanifold 44 is a negative pressure which is lower than the atmosphericpressure, the exhaust bypass valve V3 is fully opened to stop driving ofthe turbine 49 a, so that surging and the like in the turbocharger 49can be prevented. Further, by fully opening the supplied-air bypassvalve V2, control of the intake manifold pressure by the main throttlevalve V1 can be made highly responsive.

Further, when the engine load is the second predetermined load L1 orhigher, but lower than the third predetermined load L2 which takes avalue between the first and second predetermined loads L3 and L1, themap control based on the data table DT1 is performed with respect to themain throttle valve V1. Further, the supplied-air bypass valve V2 isfully opened, and the exhaust bypass valve V3 is subjected to the mapcontrol based on a data table DT2. When the engine load is equal to thefirst predetermined load L3, the main throttle valve V1 is fully opened,and the supplied-air bypass valve V2 and the exhaust bypass valve V3 arefully opened, thereby enabling switching over from the diesel mode tothe gas mode.

Next, with reference to FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, the following describescontrol performed when the operation of the engine device 21 operatingin the gas mode is switched to the diesel mode. FIG. 14 is a flowchartshowing operations performed in switching control to a diesel modeoperation. FIG. 15 is a timing chart showing an example switchingoperation according to the flowchart of FIG. 14.

As shown in FIG. 14, when the engine controlling device 73, whenconfirming that the engine device 21 is operating in the gas mode (Yesin STEP 1), checks whether or not an abnormality (e.g., a drop in thefuel gas pressure, a drop in the intake manifold pressure, an increasein the gas temperature, an increase in the air temperature, ordisconnection of sensors) is taking place in the gas mode operation ofthe engine device 21 (STEP 2). If no abnormality is taking place in thegas mode operation (No in STEP 2), if the current location is out of arestricted sea area which restricts emission amounts of NOx (nitrogenoxides) and SOx (sulfur oxides) is confirmed (STEP 3).

When an abnormality is confirmed in the gas mode operation (Yes in STEP2) or when it is confirmed that the ship 1 has moved outside therestricted sea area based on a restricted sea area information map data(Yes in STEP 3), the engine controlling device 73 stops operation ofinjecting the fuel gas from the gas injector 98 (STEP 4). That is, theengine controlling device 73 determines that the operation switchingfrom the gas mode to the diesel mode is to be executed when anabnormality takes place in the gas mode operation or when the currentlocation of navigation is detected to be outside the restricted seaarea, and stops supply of the fuel gas to the cylinders 36 (cylinders77). At this point, the gas injectors 98 of the cylinders 36 are allclosed, and their opening operations in the air intake stroke aredisabled. Further, supply of the fuel gas to the fuel supply path 30 isstopped by the gas valve unit 35.

Next, based on a detection signal from the engine rotation sensor 20,the engine controlling device 73 confirms the engine rotation number ofthe engine device 21, and calculates a delay period Td which is a periodfrom the stopping of the gas mode operation to the start of the dieselmode operation (STEP 5). The delay period is set longer than a periodtaken by the compressing stroke, but shorter than a period taken by theair intake stroke and the compressing stroke, based on the enginerotation number confirmed by the engine rotation sensor 20. Further, thedelay period Td may be set to be equal to a period set based on theengine rotation number, from the fuel gas injection timing (gas mode) inthe air intake stroke of the gas mode to the fuel oil injection timingin the compressing stroke in the diesel mode.

After the setting of the delay period Td, when the elapse of the delayperiod Td is confirmed (Yes in STEP 6), the engine controlling device 73stops ignition operation by the pilot fuel injection valve 82 (STEP 7).At this time, the engine controlling device 73 stops supply of the pilotfuel to the pilot fuel injection valve 82 in the cylinder 36, and stopsoperation in the gas mode. Next, the engine controlling device 73 causesthe fuel injection pump 89 to start supply of the fuel oil to the mainfuel injection valve 79 (STEP 8). At this time, the engine controllingdevice 73 drives the speed adjuster 201 to set the rack position of thecontrol rack 202 in the fuel injection pump 89, thereby adjusting thefuel injection amount to the main fuel injection valve 79.

As shown in FIG. 15, the engine controlling device 73, when determiningto perform switching to the diesel mode operation during the gas modeoperation, stops supply of the fuel gas and then starts supply of thefuel oil after elapse of the delay period Td based on the enginerotation number. That is, in the engine device 21, the start ofsupplying the fuel oil (start of operation in the diesel mode) isdelayed by the delay period Td relative to the stop of supplying thefuel gas (stop of operation in the gas mode), at a time of switchingfrom the gas mode operation to the diesel mode operation.

Therefore, the engine device 21 selectively supplies the fuel gas or thefuel oil to each cylinder 77 (cylinder 36) at the time of switching fromthe gas mode operation to the diesel mode operation, and can prevent thefuel gas supply and the fuel oil supply from overlapping each other.Therefore, at the time of switching from the gas mode to the dieselmode, there will not be a case where both the fuel gas and the fuel oilare supplied to a single cylinder 36, and it is possible to avoid anexcessive supply of the fuel to the cylinder 77, and to prevent anexcessively high in-cylinder pressure and abnormal combustion.

The example of FIG. 15 shows the state transitions of cylinders 36 (#1to #6) in a case where the cylinder 36 (#6) is in the air intake strokeand the operation is switched from the gas mode to the diesel mode afterthe fuel gas is injected from the gas injector 98. When supply of thefuel gas is stopped (stopping of the gas mode) after injection of thefuel gas in the cylinder 36 (#6), the engine controlling device 73 timesthe delay period Td, and the pilot fuel is supplied to the pilot fuelinjection valve 82 during the delay period Td. Therefore, in thecylinders 36 (#2, #4, #6) in which the fuel gas is supplied into theircylinders 77 before the supply of the fuel gas is stopped, the fuel gasin the cylinders 77 is ignited by the pilot fuel injection valve 82 inthe compressing stroke.

Although the cylinder 36 (#5) enters the air intake stroke before theelapse of the delay period Td, no fuel gas will be injected from the gasinjector 98 into the cylinder 77 because the supply of the fuel gas isstopped. After that, when the delay period Td elapses, the supply of thepilot fuel is stopped, and supply of the fuel oil is started (startingof the diesel mode). This way, the control valve of the fuel injectionpump 89 is opened in the compressing stroke to inject and ignite thefuel oil in the cylinder 77 through the main fuel injection valve 79,sequentially from the cylinder 36 (#5).

It should be noted that the present embodiment deals with a case wherethe supply of the pilot fuel to the pilot fuel injection valve 82 isstopped at a time of operating in the diesel mode; however, the pilotfuel may always be supplied to the pilot fuel injection valve 82 in boththe gas mode and the diesel mode. In this case, as shown in theflowchart of FIG. 16, the engine controlling device 73, after confirmingelapse of the delay period Td (Yes in STEP 6), starts the fuel oilsupply from the fuel injection pump 89 (STEP 8), while the ignitionoperation by the pilot fuel injection valve 82 is continued.

With reference to FIG. 17 to FIG. 19, the following describes controloperations for switching from the gas mode operation to the diesel modeoperation in an engine device of another embodiment (second embodiment)which is different from the above-described embodiment (firstembodiment). FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing operations performed inswitching control to the diesel mode operation. FIG. 18 and FIG. 19 areeach a timing chart showing an example switching operation according tothe flowchart of FIG. 17. It should be noted that the present embodimentdeals with a case where the supply of the pilot fuel to the pilot fuelinjection valve 82 is stopped in the diesel mode, as in the firstembodiment; however, the pilot fuel may always be supplied to the pilotfuel injection valve 82 in both the gas mode and the diesel mode.

As shown in FIG. 17, in the engine device 21 of the second embodiment,when the engine controlling device 73, during the gas mode operation(Yes in STEP 1), confirms an abnormality in the engine operation or thecurrent location being outside the restricted sea area (Yes in STEP 2 orSTEP 3), injection of the fuel gas from the gas injector 98 is stopped(STEP 4). That is, the engine controlling device 73 determines that theoperation switching from the gas mode to the diesel mode is to beexecuted, and stops supply of the fuel gas to the cylinders 36(cylinders 77).

Next, when the engine controlling device 73 confirms the cylinder 36immediately before reaching the timing for injecting the fuel oil in thecompressing stroke (STEP 105), and then confirms whether or not the fuelgas has been injected to that cylinder 36 in the immediately previousair intake stroke (STEP 106). At this time, in the cylinder 36immediately before reaching the timing for injecting the fuel oil, ifthe fuel gas has been injected in the immediately previous air intakestroke (Yes in STEP 106), the engine controlling device 73 determinesthat the fuel gas has been supplied to the cylinder 77 before the gasmode is stopped. Therefore, the engine controlling device 73 does notenable transition to the diesel mode operation, and executes ignition bythe pilot fuel injection valve 82 to combust the fuel gas in thecylinder 77.

As described above, the engine controlling device 73 confirms whether ornot the fuel gas has been injected in the immediately previous airintake stroke, sequentially for the cylinders 36 immediately beforereaching the timing for injecting the fuel oil in the compressing stroke(STEP 105 to STEP 106). Then, when it is confirmed that no fuel gas hasbeen injected in the immediately previous air intake stroke, in thecylinder 36 immediately before reaching the timing for injection of thefuel oil in the compressing stroke (No in STEP 106), the ignitionoperation by the pilot fuel injection valve 82 is stopped (STEP 7), andsupply of the fuel oil to the main fuel injection valve 79 by the fuelinjection pump 89 is started (STEP 8).

As shown in FIG. 18 and FIG. 19, the engine controlling device 73, whendetermining to perform switching to the diesel mode during the gas modeoperation, starts supply of the fuel oil only when it confirms that nofuel gas has been injected in the immediately previous air intake strokein the cylinder 36 to reach a predetermined timing (before reaching thefuel oil injection timing) in the compressing stroke. In other words, ata time of switching from the gas mode operation to the diesel modeoperation, the engine device 21 stops the gas mode operation, and thenstarts the diesel mode operation when the cylinder 36 in which thesupply of fuel gas in the air intake stroke is stopped approaches thefuel oil injection timing.

The engine device 21 enables the fuel oil supply to start the dieselmode, when a cylinder 36 having reached the fuel oil injection timingand having no fuel gas supplied in the cylinder 77 is confirmed for thefirst time after the fuel gas supply is stopped. Thus, at a time ofswitching from the gas mode to the diesel mode, the fuel gas or the fueloil can be selectively supplied to each cylinder 77 (cylinder 36), whilethe time for switching over is minimized. Therefore, at the time ofswitching from the gas mode to the diesel mode, the fuel gas supply andthe fuel oil supply are not performed to a single cylinder 36 in anoverlapping manner, and it is possible to avoid an excessive supply ofthe fuel to the cylinder 77, and to prevent an excessively highin-cylinder pressure and abnormal combustion. Further, since it ispossible to avoid a situation in which neither the fuel gas nor the fueloil is supplied to the cylinder 77 at a time of switching from the gasmode to the diesel mode, misfire at the time of switching can beprevented.

The example of FIG. 18 shows the state transitions of cylinders 36 (#1to #6) in a case where the cylinder 36 (#3) is in the air intake strokeand the operation is switched from the gas mode to the diesel mode afterthe fuel gas is injected from the gas injector 98. When the supply ofthe fuel gas is stopped (stopping of the gas mode) after the injectionof the fuel gas in the cylinder 36 (#3), the engine controlling device73 recognizes the cylinder 36 (#5) in the compressing stroke, andconfirms whether or not fuel gas injection from the gas injector 98 hasbeen performed in the cylinder 36 (#5) in the immediately previous airintake stroke. At this time, the fuel gas has been injected to thecylinder 36 (#5) in the air intake stroke, the engine controlling device73 ignite the fuel gas in the cylinder 77 by the pilot fuel injectionvalve 82, without enabling the injection of the fuel oil. Next, theengine controlling device 73 keeps the injection of the fuel oildisabled, also for the cylinder 36 (#3) which is to enter thecompressing stroke subsequently to the cylinder 36 (#5), because thefuel gas has been injected immediately before.

After that, for the cylinder 36 (#6) which enters the compressing strokesubsequently to the cylinder 36 (#3), the engine controlling device 73confirms whether or not the fuel gas has been injected from the gasinjector 98 in the immediately previous air intake stroke. In this case,since the fuel gas has not yet been injected to the cylinder 36 (#6) inthe air intake stroke, the engine controlling device 73 stops supplyingof the pilot fuel and starts supplying of the fuel oil (start of dieselmode). This way, the control valve of the fuel injection pump 89 isopened in the compressing stroke to inject and ignite the fuel oil inthe cylinder 77 through the main fuel injection valve 79, sequentiallyfrom the cylinder 36 (#6).

The example of FIG. 19 shows the state transitions of cylinders 36 (#1to #6) in a case where the cylinder 36 (#3) is in the air intake strokeand the operation is switched from the gas mode to the diesel modebefore the fuel gas is injected from the gas injector 98. When thesupply of the fuel gas is stopped (stopping of the gas mode) before theinjection of the fuel gas after the cylinder 36 (#3) enters the airintake stroke, the engine controlling device 73 recognizes the cylinder36 (#1) in the compressing stroke, and confirms whether or not fuel gasinjection from the gas injector 98 has been performed in the cylinder 36(#1) in the immediately previous air intake stroke. At this time, thefuel gas has been injected to the cylinder 36 (#1) in the air intakestroke, the engine controlling device 73 ignite the fuel gas in thecylinder 77 by the pilot fuel injection valve 82, without enabling theinjection of the fuel oil. Next, the engine controlling device 73 keepsthe injection of the fuel oil disabled, also for the cylinder 36 (#5)which is to enter the compressing stroke subsequently to the cylinder 36(#1), because the fuel gas has been injected immediately before.

After that, for the cylinder 36 (#3) which enters the compressing strokesubsequently to the cylinder 36 (#5), the engine controlling device 73confirms whether or not the fuel gas has been injected from the gasinjector 98 in the immediately previous air intake stroke. In this case,since the fuel gas has not yet been injected to the cylinder 36 (#3) inthe air intake stroke, the engine controlling device 73 stops supplyingof the pilot fuel and starts supplying of the fuel oil (start of dieselmode). This way, the control valve of the fuel injection pump 89 isopened in the compressing stroke to inject and ignite the fuel oil inthe cylinder 77 through the main fuel injection valve 79, sequentiallyfrom the cylinder 36 (#3).

The structure of each of the portions is not limited to the illustratedembodiment, but can be variously changed within a scope which does notdeflect from the scope of the present invention. Further, the enginedevice of the present embodiment can also be applied to structures otherthan the propulsion/electric power generating mechanism described above,such as a generator device for supplying electric power to an electricsystem in a ship hull and a structure as a drive source in theland-based power generating facility. Further, in the engine device ofthe present invention, although the ignition method is based on themicro pilot injection method, it may be configured to perform sparkignition in the sub chamber.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   1 ship-   2 ship hull-   4 funnel-   5 propeller-   9 propeller shaft-   11 engine room-   12 propulsion/electric power generating mechanism-   17 supplied-air bypass passage-   18 exhaust bypass passage-   19 load measuring device-   20 engine rotation sensor-   21 engine device (dual-fuel engine)-   22 speed reducer-   23 shaft-driven generator-   24 output shaft (crank shaft)-   25 cylinder block-   26 cylinder head-   36 cylinder-   37 intake port-   38 exhaust port-   39 pressure sensor-   40 head cover-   41 gas manifold (gaseous fuel pipe)-   42 fuel oil pipe (liquid fuel pipe)-   43 side cover-   44 exhaust manifold-   45 thermal insulation cover-   46 cooling water pipe-   47 common-rail (pilot fuel pipe)-   48 exhaust gas relay pipe-   49 turbocharger-   51 intercooler-   53 cooling water pump-   54 pilot fuel pump-   55 lubricating oil pump-   56 fuel oil pump-   57 oil pan-   58 lubricating oil cooler-   59 lubricating oil strainer-   67 intake manifold-   79 main fuel injection valve-   80 intake valve-   81 exhaust valve-   82 pilot fuel injection valve-   89 combustion injection pump-   98 gas injector

The invention claimed is:
 1. A ship comprising: an engine; and an engine control unit (ECU) configured to: based on the ship being outside a reduced emissions area, perform an engine switching operation to switch operation of the engine from a gas mode to a diesel mode; and based on the ship being within the reduced emissions area, prohibit the engine switching operation.
 2. The ship of claim 1, wherein the ECU is further configured to: determine a first location of the ship that is within the reduced emissions area; and determine a second location of the ship that is outside the reduced emissions area.
 3. The ship of claim 2, wherein the ECU is further configured to: determine the reduced emissions area based on restricted sea area information map data; compare the first location to the reduced emissions area to determine whether the first location is within the reduced emissions area; and compare the second location to the reduced emissions area to determine whether the second location is within the reduced emissions area.
 4. The ship of claim 3, wherein the ECU is further configured to: determine which mode of a plurality of modes the engine is configured in, the plurality of modes including: the gas mode in which a gaseous fuel is supplied into a cylinder of the engine; and the diesel mode in which a liquid fuel is supplied into the cylinder; and based on the engine being configured in the gas mode, determine whether the ship is within the reduced emissions area.
 5. The ship of claim 4, further comprising: an intake manifold configured to supply air to the cylinder of the engine; an exhaust manifold configured to output exhaust gas from the cylinder; a gas injector configured to mix the gaseous fuel with the air supplied from the intake manifold; and a main fuel injection valve configured to inject the liquid fuel into the cylinder for combustion.
 6. The ship of claim 1, wherein during the engine switching operation, the ECU is configured to: stop injection of a gaseous fuel; calculate a delay period; and based on expiration of the delay period, start supply of a liquid fuel to the engine.
 7. An apparatus for operating a vehicle, the apparatus comprising: an engine control unit (ECU) configured to: determine whether a first location associated with an engine is within a reduced emissions area; based on the first location being outside the reduced emissions area, enable an engine switching operation to switch an operation state of the engine; and based on the engine being within the reduced emissions area, prohibit the engine switching operation.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the ECU is further configured to, based on a second location being outside the reduced emissions area, perform the engine switching operation to operate the engine in a second mode.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the ECU is further configured to: detect an abnormality while the engine is operating in a first mode; and based on detection of the abnormality, perform the engine switching operation to operate the engine in the second mode.
 10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the ECU is further configured to: determine the first location associated with the engine; and wherein the engine corresponds to the vehicle, the vehicle comprises a ship.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein: the ECU is further configured to: determine the reduced emissions area based on information map data; and compare the first location of the engine to the reduced emissions area to determine whether the engine is within the reduced emissions area; and the reduced emissions area corresponds to restricted sea area in which emission amounts of nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides are restricted.
 12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the ECU is further configured to: switch the operating state of the engine between: a first mode in which a gaseous fuel is supplied into a cylinder of the engine; and a second mode in which a liquid fuel is supplied into the cylinder.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising: an intake manifold configured to supply air to the cylinder; a gas injector configured to mix the gaseous fuel with the air supplied from the intake manifold; an exhaust manifold configured to output exhaust gas from the cylinder; and a main fuel injection valve configured to inject the liquid fuel into the cylinder for combustion.
 14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the gaseous fuel includes natural gas, and the gaseous fuel is supplied in an air intake stroke in the first mode, and the liquid fuel is supplied in a compressing stroke in the second mode.
 15. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein during the engine switching operation, the ECU is configured to: stop injection a gaseous fuel; calculate a delay period; and based on expiration of the delay period has elapsed, start supply of a liquid fuel.
 16. A method of operating a vehicle, the method comprising: determining whether the vehicle is within a reduced emissions area; and based on a determination that the vehicle is within the reduced emissions area: configuring an engine to have an operating state corresponding to a first mode in which gaseous fuel is supplied to a cylinder of the engine; and prohibiting an engine switching operation to switch the operating state of the engine from the first mode to a second mode in which liquid fuel is supplied to the cylinder.
 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising, based on the vehicle being outside the reduced emissions area, enable the engine switching operation to switch the operating state of the engine to the second mode.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein: based on the vehicle being outside the reduced emissions area, perform the engine switching operation; and the vehicle includes a ship.
 19. The method of claim 17, further comprising: determining a location of the vehicle; and determining the reduced emissions area based on information map data.
 20. The method of claim 19, further comprising comparing the location of the engine to the reduced emissions area. 